For more than 80 years, the Hendrick name has been the first name in healthcare in Abilene, Texas, and the Texas Midwest. As the first healthcare network to establish a true system of services, the Hendrick name reigns over a 504-bed medical center, a women’s center, rehabilitation hospital, cancer center and numerous other valuable services.

Our History

Hendrick was the first hospital to permanently serve the Texas Midwest when its doors opened in 1924. During the Great Depression, it was the first hospital that people of the Big Country area rallied behind to keep the doors open when money was scarce. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hendrick, for whom the institution was named, made the first major financial gift to the hospital. Through the years it has been the first in the area to offer specialized services, creating departments to fill needs such as physical medicine, nuclear medicine, spiritual care and much more.

Our Commitment to Quality Healthcare

Hendrick has been the first to offer aggressive, innovative treatments and preventive healthcare measures ranging from services such as cancer screenings and pre-natal education courses to electro-physiology procedures and pediatric intensive care. Providing the strength of a complete system of health services available in their own backyards, most of the citizens of Abilene and the 22 counties that surround it look to Hendrick as their first choice for healthcare. In fact, research shows 64 percent of area residents prefer Hendrick for their healthcare needs.

Hendrick is an institution where people can feel a strong sense of belonging – an advanced medical provider the people of the Texas Midwest can call their own. Hendrick Medical Center is one of seven healthcare institutions affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. As part of Hendrick Medical Center, the hospital is licensed for 504 beds. About 2,700 staff members create the Hendrick Medical Center team of employees. People of all ages and races, men and women, receive precision care at Hendrick every day, regardless of the way they are able to pay.

As a committed healthcare provider, medical, community and patient education has always been an important aspect of Hendrick Medical Center. From its original charter, one aspect of its mission was to provide for a school for nurses. Now housed on the Hendrick main campus, the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing is affiliated with three universities located in Abilene. Hendrick also operates a School of Radiography and a School of Respiratory Care.

There are numerous ways Hendrick is involved in the community, not just from a healthcare perspective, but from the various services Hendrick provides to the community.